A Benchmarking Framework for Public Transportation Projects Delivery

The financing and implementation of transportation projects are more likely to be successful with the support of local communities. Hence, for cities and transportation agencies to develop strategies that will improve public acceptability and reduce resistance to funding transportation projects, it is important to understand differences in the levels of local support. This study used a factor-cluster analysis to segment a university population, to understand current levels of support toward transportation investments, and seek out important allies to endorse public and active transportation projects. The results of the study reveal five clusters of individuals with varying opinions toward transportation investments and distinct motivations. Strong advocates are the greatest allies for promoting public and active transportation investments. They support financing public and active transportation projects, and are well positioned to endorse the necessity and advantages of such investments. Highway and transit funders are motivated by their dissatisfaction with the current transportation system. Cycling advocates are valuable in publicizing the benefits of expanding the bicycle network. Infrequent commuters do not travel to the university as often as the other groups, and are supportive of transportation investments in general. Despite the overall positive opinion toward investing in public and active transportation projects, there is a minority of funding opponents who are generally against financing transportation projects. The results of this study will be helpful for policy makers intending to communicate the benefits of transportation projects to various community groups.

Innovations in the appraisal of public transport projects

Transport forms the heartbeat of the economy, not only in South Africa but also globally. Over time the South African government has invested a great deal of resources in transport projects such as taxi recapitalization rail technology as well as bus rapid transit (BRT). The BRT project has been a point of discussion in terms of the value which it can bring to key stakeholders, particularly to commuters and the country’s economy at large. BRT is basically an urban public bus transport strategy which seeks to alleviate congestion, mostly in the Metropolitan areas. In this paper the significance of the BRT strategy is highlighted as this may guide future public transport project investment. As a strategic move, the decision for government to roll out BRT is evaluated in terms of blue ocean strategy (BOS) principles and red ocean strategy (ROS) elements. BOS strategy suggests that an organization operates in its own created market space where competition is rendered irrelevant, whereas with ROS organization relies on having a competitive edge in order to outsmart its rivals. The preliminary findings suggest that there are some elements of both BOS principles and ROS that are relevant to BRT projects. BRT is seen as a useful public transport investment particularly for countries with developing economies elements such as South Africa. However, stakeholder buy-in and cooperation should be promoted to preserve the strategic and social gains brought about by BRT and other integrated public transport projects

Studies on principal factors preventing CER (China Environmental Risk) from Project Angle are seldom found, so we studied principal factors preventing CER (China Environmental Risk) from Project Angle in this thesis, including their selection, sequence and contribution. By our analysis, principal factors preventing CER (China Environmental Risk) from project angle can be ordered by contribution as follows: general management, projects for primary industries, energy projects, and public transportation projects. And our related advice is as follows: first, careful protection of natural environment. Secondly strict surveillance on production of waste from such projects as projects for primary industries, energy projects, and public transportation projects, etc. by market management, and public management, etc.. And thirdly great encouragement to arouse interest in technological innovations friendly with the environment in waste disposal, etc..

Public projects are enablers of policy and are often framed within a political context characterized by the unpredictable, emergent, ambiguous and contextual; this creates tensions around conceptualizations of project performance and project success. Public projects are generally authorized based on a favourable benefit-to-cost ratio, so ex-post scrutiny of realized benefits is crucial to effective evaluation. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that sometimes, the focus on project delivery may come at the expense of benefits realization. This paper describes part of a wider programme of research into benefits realization in public projects. We present ‘deep dives’ into 3 UK projects and draw on a formal theoretical base to consider questions such as ‘what is a benefit?’, ‘how good are we at defining benefits/beneficiaries?’, ’how can we manage and capture evolving benefits in complex environments?’; ‘how do we recognize and accept complexity while the environment changes?’ and ‘what effects does this have on our understanding of benefits realization?’. This paper presents an analysis of the case studies and provides a synthesis of the main findings. We make eight recommendations for professional practice in the field of benefits management and set out some conclusions relevant to the wider discourse on the evaluation of investment in public projects.

Supply chain management (SCM) is increasingly getting attention from companies involved in the delivery of capital projects, but some companies have strategically been pursuing SCM for many years already. Recognizing the different levels of SC maturity among engineering and construction firms, we intend with this paper to pique interest in SCM for those who are not yet practicing it. This paper describes a multitude of supply-chain tactics that one supplier organization has implemented. The company described in this case study designs, fabricates, and erects pre-engineered metal buildings and components. The company also has subsidiaries that manufacture other building products. Recognizing the value of SCM, competitors in this sector of the engineering and construction industry as well as companies in other sectors may want to assess under what circumstances these SC tactics apply to their business, and then rethink their business opportunities and corresponding SC strategy.

Nowadays, security in the public transportation network is a major goal in their systems. Complexity in the security management is a function of transportation system and related networks. So, the complexity is different in the small, medium or mega cities. In this paper, many indices have been considered as effective parameters in the public transportation security system. Information technology, emergency facilities, training and education of human resources and coordination among departments have been considered as effective parameters in the public transportation system. Also, this research focuses on relationship between legal security organizations and public transportation system. All of these parameters depended on the planning in the earliest start time of public transportation projects. By use of a planning in the work breakdown structure of the public transportation project, the security is increased in their organizations. In fact, attention to the related parameters in the public transportation can improve the security management of the system.

6 - Can the urban poor reach their jobs? Evaluating equity effects of relocation and public transport projects in Ahmedabad, India

The UK Transport Act 2000 gave local traffic authorities powers to introduce road pricing with an assurance that for at least ten years they will be allowed to keep the proceeds for investment in public transport or other local transport projects. It is possible that only a few local authorities will take up the offer but many more will wish to carry out studies of the possibilities before coming to a conclusion. For many authorities the decision will be affected by what alternative sources of finance are available. Decisions could be reviewed; perhaps most authorities will come to the conclusion ‘not now but maybe in future’. They may wish to study the possibilities now so that if and when the time is right, they will be able to recognise it. This paper sets out the main issues affecting a decision and the criteria for developing policies towards road pricing. The paper also draws a distinction between compulsory or negative road pricing as a means of restricting road traffic and optional or positive road pricing as a means of improving the use of road space and in particular, securing bus priority in the right locations.

Light Rail transport within the city has become an interesting form of public transport in many cities in Europe as well as in other parts of the world. According to the experience of the reference cities, light rail or tramway is primarily an urban development project, not only a public transport project. This case study focuses on the indirect impacts of a tramway project. Do they really happen or is their valuation just a means to achieve political will. The city of Tampere is one of a few growing cities in Finland. The growth of the city caused congestion in the city centre, where the bus lines either ended or whose pendulum lines passed. Project planning for the Tampere tramway started in the early 2000s, construction began in 2017, traffic on the first lines started in 2021. In the tramway, the decisions are based on future expectations. In our research, we assess how well these expectations have been realised in the Tampere tramway project by means of a literature survey and statistical comparisons. The developments to be considered are the direct and indirect investments in the construction of the tramway, the demographic changes, and the housing markets. The evaluation material consists of official regional statistics. According to evaluation, the land use of Tampere has become more efficient than expected in the area affected by the tramway. Not only on empty plots, but also old low commercial buildings have been replaced by high new residential buildings. The tramway has supported urban development by attracting investors to build on previously for abandoned plots. The main street of Tampere is dedicated to the tram, a limited number of buses and light traffic, so congestion has been reduced.

PurposeKnowledge loss and retention are common phenomena not only for organizations but also for interorganizational projects, where multiple organizations are involved. This paper sets out to understand why knowledge loss occurs and how to retain knowledge, particularly in the context of interorganizational projects. For this purpose, the Orange Line Metro Rail Transit System in Lahore, the Bus Rapid Transit in Peshawar and the Green Line Metrobus in Karachi, all in Pakistan, were examined.Design/methodology/approachA multi-case study approach is employed in this paper. Empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews and archival documents. To analyze the data, we used a three-step thematization procedure, which included data condensation, data presentation and conclusion.FindingsThe findings present the determinants of knowledge loss, including high time pressure, memory decay, lack of sharing of personal knowledge and tenuous relationships between salary and experience. For knowledge retention, the findings provide evidence of the transformation of the working environment, externalization, job shadowing, the hiring and rehiring individuals and the provision of incentives.Originality/valueBy examining knowledge loss and retention in interorganizational projects, this article contributes to the literature on knowledge-based theory.

Perceived injustice can trigger strong emotional reactions and motivate political protest. Although there is vast empirical evidence for this chain of reactions, we know little about individual differences in how perceived injustice can motivate people to engage in political actions. In a survey study with 1,005 German participants, we investigated how justice sensitivity as a personality disposition accounts for individual differences in political engagement. Regression analyses revealed that justice sensitivity from an observer perspective promotes political engagement, whereas justice sensitivity from a victim perspective is not related to political engagement . In the concrete case of a political decision regarding the public transport project “Stuttgart 21” in Germany, our data indicated that perceived procedural injustice of the decision process and moral outrage mediated the relation of justice sensitivity from an observer perspective and political protest. The present findings are in line with research on the behavioral outcomes of justice sensitivity and contribute to the understanding of individual differences in political engagement and its underlying motivational processes.

At Crossrail, we are passionate, not just about building a new railway but ensuring it is delivered in a way that provides a lasting economic, environmental, and social sustainability legacy. We have enshrined this in our strategy and governance processes and our contractors have joined us on this journey. This paper provides a comprehensive yet concise account of how Crossrail has organized itself to deliver a sustainable outcome, as well as detailing a structure for successful outcomes. This paper covers four main themes: planning for delivering sustainability on a major infrastructure project, creating a sustainability governance structure to manage sustainability performance, using sustainability assessment methodologies to help outcomes, and encouraging innovation to deliver better sustainability outcomes This paper will be of particular interest to client organizations responsible for national infrastructure but also provides valuable information for designers and construction professionals.

The construction industry is recognising the increasingly important role of digital technology in delivering capital projects on time and within budget. Over 95% of major projects (over $1bn) are delayed or over budget, according to a report by Accenture. Project owners are under pressure to become more efficient, innovative, and ambitious in how they operate, they are turning to digital technologies to enable full project visibility and evidencing data to make more informed decisions. The execution of capital projects within the energy sector is typically complex and often relies upon information being shared between the site and globally dispersed project teams. Determining a holistic view of a capital project can be challenging. Storing and interpreting key data associated with planning resources, equipment allocation, utilization and coordinating the delivery of raw materials only compound the challenge of effective reporting. Traditionally, assessing the status of a project was heavily reliant on paper-based processes. This was a difficult method to collate and manage valuable project information centrally and key stakeholders often had to make decisions based on partial data. The process relied on management's presence frequently onsite and a ‘boots on the ground’ approach to visual inspection. Large volumes of data were often captured by quality inspectors and construction engineers which was an arduous and time-consuming task.

Achieving true sustainability in the conceptualization of new building projects requires radical change compared to traditional green-field projects; circular building principles in a circular economy must become a fundamental part of the process. These principles include product recovery management, life cycle assessment (LCA), design for disassembly sequence planning, adaptability, deconstruction, closed materials loops and dematerialization. These principles recognize the importance of the End-of-Life stage in existing buildings, including adaptive reuse as an attractive alternative in a circular economy. However, the early phases of capital project delivery lack well-developed methods to: (1) decide amongst green-field construction versus adaptive reuse, (2) pre-project planning for closed-loop cycle construction and (3) plan for the optimization of the benefits of adaptive reuse. In this article, we argue that the early capital projects delivery phases for a circular economy should have distinct stages, decision gates and more appropriate planning methods, such as selective disassembly, LCA monetization protocols and optimization methods. An investigation of related studies underpins the capital project planning framework proposed and the research that must still be accomplished to enable a more circular economy in the capital projects sector.